


Rise to the occasion

by Rhinkhearted



Category: Rhett & Link, rhink - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, a little fluff, rhink, tropetastictuesday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 20:21:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10816026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhinkhearted/pseuds/Rhinkhearted
Summary: Sharing a dorm room with your best friend is great, unless you're in love with him and he's got his tongue down some girl's throat while you're trying to write a history paper.





	Rise to the occasion

**Author's Note:**

> This was posted to Tumblr under the name Time To Go. 
> 
> written for Tropetastictuesday, pining.

Sharing a room with your best friend sounds like a great situation right? well it is unless you happen to be in love with them and they happen to have their tongue down some girl's throat while you're sitting less than five feet away trying to write a history paper. 

Link's POV :

Link looked over with a frustrated glare. "Can you two take this somewhere else? I'm trying to write a paper and it's hard to hear myself think over the slurping noises" he snapped, Now usually he was a rather calm person but at this very moment he felt like he might turn into the hulk and toss April Mobley right out the damn window if she and Rhett didn't get out of the room in 2.5 seconds. 

"Whatever, Man. I don't know why you're so bitter, you could be doing this exact same thing if you'd just pay more attention to Gabi Walters and less attention to that textbook" Rhett stood up from the couch pulling April along with him, her long dark brown hair was glossy like the pages of a magazine and her short skirt rode high almost giving both boys a peek at her lace thong as she walked out of the room and into the hall, Rhett following behind for obvious reasons.

Link watched the two exit the room and then turned back to his paper, he'd only written down a few words and the rest were just mindless doodles, he sighed and pushed back from the desk. "Maybe I should take a break" he thought to himself. he ambled around the room tidying up a few things here and there, He took a look at their beds and decided to make those as well, why not right?. He climbed the ladder up to Rhett's bunk and began the process of straightening the covers and fluffing the pillows, He was overwhelmed by the rush of Rhett's cologne and natural musk that filled his nose as he did so. He knew he shouldn't do what he was about to do but he did it anyways, He laid out on his stomach and buried his face in Rhett's pillow inhaling his scent to commit it to memory, as if it wasn't already.

\------------------------------------

Rhett's POV :

Aprils dorm room was dimly lit, Rhett sat on her velvety couch with her straddling his hips, Her lips worked over his neck and her hands ran through his short cropped hair that was just growing out from a shave. He should have been thinking about her, about the way she grinded against him, but instead his mind was focused on another brunet in another dorm room. "April..April, I need to go" he tried but she didn't pay any mind to it as she continued to grind on his lap.

"Shh, just sit there and enjoy yourself" She panted against his neck, She'd decided earlier in the day that tonight would be the night she and Rhett finally consummated their love, she wasn't going to let anything stand in her way now.

\---------------------------------

Link's POV : 

at some point Link had fallen asleep right there on Rhett's bunk with his face buried in the other's pillows, he awoke with a start as he heard the doorknob jiggling. He shot a quick glance at the clock on the wall, he wasn't expecting Rhett to return so soon but apparently he had. Link shot down the ladder as fast as he could without falling and hurting himself, he'd just plopped onto his own mattress when the door swung open and Rhett walked in. 

"Well, you're back awful earlier, April get the runs?" he tried to joke but then he saw the tired, sad look on Rhett's face and sat up. "What's wrong?" his tone had went from joking to serious, concerned even.

Rhett pulled out the rolling chair by his and Link's desk and sat down stretching his legs out in front of himself. "April and I broke up" he said simply, eyes focused on something slightly to the left of Link's face, unable to make eye contact. 

"What? why?" Link leaned forward arms resting on his knees, he couldn't believe he was hearing Rhett correctly, He and April had just been making out like two horny teenagers after prom and now they were broken up?. 

"I don't want to talk about it, just let it go man" Rhett turned away, looking down at the papers on Link's desk. "Instead let's talk about the fact that you haven't even gotten half of this paper written, it's mostly doodles" 

Link looked down at his feet sheepishly, though Rhett wasn't looking at him to see it. "you see I got up after you two left and I tidied the place up a bit and then I...I took a little nap" he gave a nervous chuckle.

\---------------------------------------

Rhett's POV :

 

Rhett turned to look at Link "You took a nap huh?, you must be pretty hungry now" He knew Link always got hungry after napping, maybe they could go grab a bite to eat. 

"Yeah, Kinda...Wanna order a pizza?" He stood up and went to get the phone, Rhett hadn't even answered and he was already dialing the number.

Rhett watched as his friend ordered their usual double cheese pepperoni and sausage pizza and an order of breadsticks. He took in the lean yet muscular and finely tanned skin of Link's body, taking in the way he lifted one hip slightly as he stood by the phone waiting for the women or man on the other end to repeat his order. He was snapped out of his observations by Link who waved a hand in front of his face.

\-------------------------

Link's POV :

 

"Earth to McLaughlin" Link said as his hand made yet another pass in front of Rhett's face. "The pizza will be here in 30 minutes" he informed him.

"Huh?, Oh! the pizza, okay" he nodded vigorously, pretending he knew what Link had just said. 

Link shook his head and chuckled. "You might need a nap of your own, Man" he walked over and placed a hand on Rhett's shoulder. "You sure you don't want to talk about..."

"No, just..No, there isn't anything to talk about. We broke up and that's all anyone needs to know" Rhett didn't feel like going into detail, Link didn't need to know he'd been dumped because when April unzipped his pants and began to stroke him he couldn't get hard, Link didn't need to know that he'd turned red and felt ashamed as he tucked himself back into his pants while April shouted at him to get out and he really didn't need to know that the reason he couldn't get it up was because it wasn't Link touching him and he couldn't bring himself to imagine it was even though lately that had been the only way he could get off.

\---------------------------

Rhett's POV :

 

He could tell that Link knew he was hiding something but he wasn't about to come clean about it. He stood up from the chair only to walk over and plop down onto the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table and flipping on the TV. "Come on, Man. Let's catch a bit of that documentary you wanted to see while we wait for the pizza" 

Link couldn't resist the offer, he'd been wanting to see this documentary for a while now and though it was part way over already he sat there watching intently, trying to ignore the feeling of Rhett being so close to him, he could still smell the scent of his pillows mixed with a little something else, he suspected it was the lingering smell of Aprils apricot body scrub but he didn't dwell on that minor detail, April much like his assignment, was history. 

\-----------------------------------

The pizza arrived right on time and both boys sat in comfortable silence as they chewed away at their respective slices, they both seemed to be lost in their own minds. No doubt thinking of each other.

 

\---------------------------

Link's POV :

 

The week had blown by in no time at all, both of them had become busy with school work, Link had finished his history assignment on time and Rhett had totally forgotten about April and whatever had seemed to be bothering him no longer was.

Link was in the library reading when April and her friend Marcy walked in, he watched as they went to where they usually hung out to gossip, why they chose to do so at the library was beyond him but he wasn't going to judge. He was about to stand up to leave when he heard Rhett's name followed by giggles, He stayed put so that he could listen in, just in case he needed to go to Rhett's defense. 

"No way, I don't believe it, Rhett?...Gay?!" Marcy squealed.

more giggles followed and then April shushed her and began to speak. "Keep your voice down, someone might hear you" She glanced around, unaware of Link's presence due to him being hidden from their sights. "I'm telling you Marcy, he has to be gay..I tried last week to get him to have sex with me, but he couldn't get it up! and when he couldn't he got up and stormed out, I yelled behind him that we were over, I mean how can I stay with someone who's dick doesn't work?, so either he's gay or he has an early case of Erectile Dysfunction" 

Even more giggles and the muffled sounds of Marcy gasping Ew followed, Link had had enough, He grabbed his book bag and stuffed his things into it, not caring if April and her snotty friend saw him leaving. He rushed out of the room and up to their dorm where he knew Rhett would be. 

\-----------------

Rhett's POV :

Rhett was stretched out on the couch watching wrestling when Link bustled in, he watched as Link's book bag went flying landing on the bunk bed with a dull thud. "Uh, hey, Man..." He greeted him, eyebrows furrowed in worry and confusion.

 

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Link threw his hands up in annoyance as he questioned his friend. "What the fuck man?" he began pacing the floor, tossing looks at Rhett every so often.

 

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, Calm down for five seconds and explain to me why you're so upset with me all of the sudden" Rhett stood up and ambled over to place a firm hand on his friend's shoulder.

 

Link stopped in his tracks and looked down at the hand. "I was in the library and I overhead April and her friend Marcy gossiping about...about you and the reason you and she broke up" He took a deep calming breath before continuing. "She said you..you were having trouble, with your uh" he looked at Rhett's front and then turned away quickly. 

 

"Ah..I just, I didn't think it was important" Rhett tried to shrug it off like he always did when it was something like this. He couldn't understand why Link was so upset that he'd kept this to himself though.

\----------------------------------

Link's POV :

"Something could be seriously wrong with you, we need to get you to the doctors as soon as possible to figure out what's going on" Link was talking in a rush, not even pausing to take a breath before continuing on. "Listen I'll call and make the appointment if you're---" he stopped when Rhett began to laugh, his face turning red from trying to suppress his giggles. "this is no laughing matter, Rhett"

 

Rhett couldn't breathe he was laughing much too hard, especially with the look of concern on Link's face. He sucked in a calming breath and tried to straighten himself from the doubled over position he'd been in. "Listen, I'm fine okay? I just...I couldn't get it up because..well I'm not attracted to April" he paused to let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "So there's no need to rush me to the doctor to get my dick checked"

 

"I-I don't understand, you were always out late with her or here making out with her. You had to have gotten a boner at some point or another with her" Link was confused, how could Rhett have spent so much time with April without her noticing this already?. 

 

"Oh, I got boners around her..." Rhett's face flushed. "when we were here, but not when we were out in public or whatever, I always kept her from getting too touchy and shit" he shrugged hoping Link wouldn't dwell too much on this information. 

 

\--------------------------------------

Rhett's POV :

Link gaped at Rhett mouth opening and closing again and again, he was obviously trying to put his thoughts into words and failing.

"Anyway, it isn't important now, her and I are over and that's that" Rhett walked back over to the couch and sat down. "stop looking at me like that, you're freaking me out"

Link reluctantly sat down on the other end of the couch and tried to keep his eyes on the TV that Rhett had flipped on, He was still trying to process what Rhett had said. "So..let me get this straight, You would get boners...but only when here?" Link questioned after a couple of beats. 

Rhett glanced at him out of the corner of his eye but didn't reply right away, He sat there contemplating what he should say. "Yeah, Basically" he sighed, he knew this was going a direction that could potentially ruin their friendship but it was too late now.

"Why..uh why is that?" Link turned sideways on the couch crossing his legs indian style. "I'm curious" he said by way of explanation. 

 

Rhett turned to face Link on the couch crossing his legs indian style as well. "Look, before I tell you I need you to promise me you won't freak out, okay?" Rhett paused and waited, Link nodded in encouragement and urged him on. "Lately the only way I can uh, get hard.. is if you're around, or if I...Think of you" he turned his head away and closed his eyes, bracing himself for whatever was about to happen.

 

\-------------------------------------

Link's POV :

His head spun and his ears rang, Had he just heard Rhett correctly? there was no way he had. Link blinked his eyes rapidly. "I- I don't understand..Do you get off on me watching you two or what?" he was trying to calm his racing heart but to no avail.

"Nah Man, It's not like that" Rhett shook his head and risked a glance at Link, he could clearly see that he was in shock, but there was a hint of something else there, hope maybe?. "I have to think about you..when I'm bein touched by someone, I have to imagine it's you or else nothing happens and well with April I just couldn't bring myself to think of you, I didn't want to have sex with her, especially not if I was only hard because I was thinking of fucking you instead" 

"You..wait, you think of f-fucking me?" Link was still not 100% sure he was hearing Rhett correctly, maybe he'd misunderstood somehow. "W-Why?" he asked when Rhett nodded in confirmation.

\-------------------------

Rhett's POV :

"I think of..of making love to you, Link..I don't know what else to say, Please don't hate me" Rhett was shaking, he couldn't believe he'd just confessed all of this to Link and all the other was doing was sitting there with a dumbfounded expression. "Say something, Please"

Link took a deep breath before speaking. "I need to um, I need to go..." Link stood up from the couch but before he could leave Rhett gripped his wrist with one large hand. "Let go, Rhett please" 

"Link, don't go, please don't go...Let's forget I ever said anything, laugh it off like I was only joking" Rhett begged, he couldn't lose Link, Not like this. "I'll do anything, just don't hate me, don't end our friendship over this"

\----------------------

Link's POV :

His natural instinct was to run and run far, he couldn't process all of this information here, not when he was ready to rip Rhett's clothes off and just fuck or be fucked until they were a sweating heap on the floor. "I don't hate you, I could never hate you..I just need time to process this information on my own" 

 

Rhett still didn't let go of Link's wrist, he was too afraid Link would run and never return, even if he did say he didn't hate him. "I'll leave, you stay here and process things...when I get back we'll talk things over, okay?" 

"O-Oh, okay yeah...let's do it that way" Link nodded, he really didn't feel like going out of the dorm right now anyway. "Just give me an hour, okay?" he placed his hand on the one that was gripping his wrist, rubbing his fingers over Rhett's knuckles. 

 

"I'll be back then" Rhett reluctantly let go of Link and slipped out the door, not bothering with a jacket or his key, he wasn't going far. 

 

\-----------------------

Rhett's POV :

Rhett sat down at the small round table in the library, he looked around at his fellow peers, there were very few people here at this time of day which was ideal considering he had no interest in being around a large group of people right now. He folded his arms on the table top and rested his head on them, deep in thought about what might happen when he returned to his and Link's dorm later.

\------------------------

Link's POV :

The dorm was quiet and empty without Rhett there and Link began to regret sending him away like he had, even though it was Rhett's idea to go. "Why'd you have to go and act like you did?" Link thought aloud, his voice sounded foreign to his own ears.

He sat on the couch in silence thinking over the events of the day, over hearing April and Marcy and then the confrontation with Rhett and Rhetts confession, he wanted to run to Rhett and just wrap him in his arms but he knew he needed to really let this sink in first before he did anything that might fuck up their friendship. As it stood right now nothing had really changed, and it wouldn't if they didn't act on their feelings, things would stay the same and there would be no chances of messing things up. He needed to take a hot shower, that's where he did his best thinking.

\--------------------------

Rhett's POV :

The hour seemed to drag by slowly to Rhett as if everyone around him was going in slow motion, it was only because he was in such a hurry to get back to the dorm, in a hurry to see if he and Link could work things out. Finally after what seemed like a week Rhett pushed his chair back from the table and got up in a rush, he ran out of the library and up to their dorm. 

He pushed open the door and took a look around, He didn't see Link anywhere and that worried him until he heard the bathroom door open and looked over to see Link emerging from the steamy room, hair wet and dripping down his shoulders and a towel wrapped around his hips.

"Oh, Rhett..has it been an hour already?" Link said cooly, acting as if he hadn't been counting down the minutes until their hour was up and Rhett would return to him. 

"Listen, Link..We need to talk about this, and you said we would do it in an hour and it's been an ho-" Link held up a hand to hush him and so he trailed off, waiting for Link to speak.

 

Link walked over to Rhett and placed a hand on his chest then looked up at him with a small smile. "I did a lot of thinking while in the shower and I've come to the conclusion that I don't want our friendship to end, but I don't want it to stay the same way either"

"What do you mean?" Rhett looked down at him, his grey eyes finding Link's blue ones. "I'm confused" He admitted.

\------------------------------

Link's POV :

Link looked up at Rhett with softness in his eyes, his hand still splayed out over his chest. "I want us to..to try being more than friends, We both want something more from this friendship from what I understand and I think it's due time we got what we wanted" He waited patiently for Rhett's response, his heart thudded in anticipation.

 

"Really?! Oh Link that's the most relieving new's I've ever heard!" Rhett wrapped Link in his long arms, embracing him like he had longed to do. "I love you, Link. I don't think I've ever meant it more than I do right now" he kissed the top of his head not caring that his hair was still dripping wet. 

\--------------------------------

Rhett's POV :

it had been three weeks since Rhett and Link had decided to become more than friends, and it was safe to say things had changed for the better.

"Watch out! you're gonna get pinned!" Rhett shouted as he tried looking around the back of Link's head to see their wrestler on the TV monitor. Link sat on his lap with the controler gripping tightly in his hands, despite it not doing anything to help he still swayed from side to side as if dodging invisible blows. 

"Hush, I watch and know more about wrestling than you, McLaughlin" Link retorted even as he watched his character get pinning to the mat by his opponent. "Shit" 

"Hate to say I told you so buuut I tolllld you soooooo" Rhett sing songed as his hands came up to Link's waist, giving him a playful tickle, Link squirmed around on his lap and tossed the controller onto the couch beside them. 

"Stoop it, No don't tickle me!" Link giggled uncontrollably as he tried to turn around to face Rhett, straddling his hips. " I'm gonna pee!" 

"Oh yeah? well go then" Rhett teased, though he knew Link wouldn't do it. "Or are ya chicken?"

Link froze in place with Rhett's hands on his waist and looked at him with wide eyes. "Uh, Rhett..I'm serious, I really need to go" he wriggled around uncomfortably.

With a sigh Rhett let go of him and watched as he skittered off to the bathroom. "Perhaps next time?" he asked once Link had returned and placed himself back on his lap.

"Really?, I don't know..it will be messy" He was rather interested in the possibility of them doing more than just making out, They'd both agreed to take things slow, and so they had yet to do more than that and a little dry humping. 

Rhett grinned before speaking. "I'll put down a towel" 

"Alright, you've convinced me, McLaughlin" 

The kiss that followed was soft and sweet with the promise of something more lurking below the surface, Rhett’s large hands cupped either side of Link’s face. Link traced Rhett’s lower lip with his tongue and Rhett gladly granted access. This wouldn’t be the last time they kissed like this.


End file.
